First egg...not in the nesting box

[RubiconChicken]

I got my first egg today from my 5/2 hatch crew! Yay! However, the egg was up on a shelf in my coop/shed rather than the lovely nesting boxes I made for them. Heres my nesting boxes and a picture of my egg simply because I'm so excited!

How do I get them to use the nesting boxes?!

 

[rosemarythyme]

Have you noticed any of your birds exploring the nests at all? Only suggestion I can make at a glance is the landing board in front of the nests might not be ideal, they're not quite a bar or board to grip on, but look too shallow to be platforms as well.

 

[Sequel]

Put a golf ball or something like that in a nest box. Congrats on the lovely egg!

 

[chrissynemetz]

Yay eggs!! Congratulations!!
I agree, put ceramic eggs or golf balls in the nest boxes to kinda give the girls the idea of using them.

 

[Folly's place]

The boxes look really good, and they do have ceramic eggs, or something, in them.
Patience! Your girls will figure it all out.
Keep them in at least until later in the afternoon, so most eggs may be in the coop, at least.
And cover your run!
I'm getting first eggs from my April 9th pullets now, love it! One of them in laying her eggs in the barn instead, phoey!
Mary

 

[RubiconChicken]

Well, another of my ladies decided to start laying...in the nesting box! Now they are both laying in the nesting box. No more egg hunts (for now)!!

 

[FortCluck]

I'm always on egg hunts. One chicken refuses to lay an egg in a nesting box. I have 5 different types in my coop, but she prefers to lay them somewhere new outside every day. It's actually pretty fun looking for it and it has turned into a fun game our family plays every day.

 

[Peggysaurus]

When my chickens laid their first eggs they all laid them in different places throughout the run. They continued to do this for a couple of weeks, so I put a fake egg in one of their nesting boxes (since I knew they went up there every night). Eventually, they started to lay their eggs in their nesting boxes and they still do to this day. I hope this helps!